A Secret Revealed: The Back Story.

Late November-early January was a super stressful month in the Youngblood household.  Even though it was filled with fun things like The Nutcracker, Wine & Canvas, and our Hobbit 2 party, it was also full of family visits, wedding travels, final projects, and hosting duties.  I drove to Iowa twice, Wisconsin twice, western Minnesota once...I was literally in a different state every weekend.  There was a lot going on.

So what does April do when she is super stressed out?  She looks at Groupon Getaways.  A dangerous pastime, I know.

One time shortly after finals week, Groupon Getaways was highlighting warm places.  Pictures of Mexican beaches, Caribbean cruises, and tropical rainforests scrolled by and right then and there Nathan and I made a quick decision: We were going to plan a Secret Spontaneous Second Honeymoon.

Less than 24 hours later, after getting the "Okay" from both our bosses, we had purchased plane tickets and Groupon packages to 2 different resorts in Costa Rica.  Why that location?

1. We didn't want to go to the Cancun area again, even though it was cheaper.  We wanted a new experience.

2. Nathan has been to the Caribbean, and it sounded too much like Cancun to tempt me.

3. Costa Rica seemed more exotic than your typical touristy place--the country's tourism industry is still developing, requiring tourists to not only know more Spanish, but also get a taste of what a third-world country is truly like in some places.

4. We wanted to go some place that had more to offer than just a beach--the idea of exploring a rainforest without spending twice as much to go to Brazil sounded appealing.

So within 18 hours, Nathan and I went from stressed to excited and had something wonderful to look forward to--a Central American, warm-weathered adventure.  And we only had to wait about a month!